Five Questions: Shinola’s Daniel Caudill

Shinola's new Rambler GMT watch marks the next evolution in the brand’s assembly of increasingly complex movements in Detroit. The Rambler GMT, $750. Available at Shinola.com

Shinola's new Rambler GMT watch marks the next evolution in the brand’s assembly of increasingly complex movements in Detroit. The Rambler GMT, $750. Available at Shinola.com

Photo: Shinola

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Shinola x Whyte Beach Paddle Set, $160. Shinola teamed up with Whyte of San Francisco on this set of wood paddles. A combination of maple plywood and hardwoods with walnut pin details create strong, light paddles that can withstand energetic play and beach conditions. The natural wood has a light wax finish and is silk-screened with a black S on the face and heat-embossed logo on the back. less

Shinola x Whyte Beach Paddle Set, $160. Shinola teamed up with Whyte of San Francisco on this set of wood paddles. A combination of maple plywood and hardwoods with walnut pin details create strong, light ... more

With a name adopted from a World War II-era shoe polish brand and a mission to manufacture on American soil, Detroit’s Shinola wears its old school sensibilities like an expertly crafted badge of honor. And while it’s true that its luxury watches, leather goods and bikes impress with classic good looks and heritage vibes, a chat with Daniel Caudill, creative director of the company in town to speak at Bloomberg Businessweek Design, makes it clear that the brand has its sights set on the future — and not only its own. Come fall, the first students will enroll in a fashion accessories design BFA program the brand is launching in collaboration with College for Creative Studies, where its operations have been housed since 2011. What’s more, Shinola now counts 166 of its 379 employees as skilled laborers in its local manufacturing facilities, and frequent collaborations with outfits such as San Francisco’s Whyte cast a spotlight on small, independent makers while adding a nowhere-else element to the company’s product offerings. Most recently, the company’s newly announced plans to head into audio gear show ever-expanding appetites.

Caudill, a design vet who started at L.A. Gear then went on to work with Adidas, Old Navy and Fossil, among others, talks Detroit’s revival, his favorite Shinola possession and the possibility of a Bay Area retail store.

— Lorraine Sanders

Q: What’s it like to be in Detroit right now?

A: I feel lucky that I’m able to be in Detroit at this moment. It’s rare that you have the opportunity to be in a city or a place that’s going through this kind of change, and it’s optimistic, and there’s so much happening with art and music and food. There’s different cities that have gone through major change, you know New York in the late 1970s on the Lower East Side and Seattle in the ’90s. You think about what came out of that. It affected pop culture, it affected art, it affected design, and that’s what Detroit feels like right now.

Q: Not to be pushy, but why haven’t we gotten a San Francisco Shinola store yet? Is there any hope?

A: It’s on our shortlist. Especially in a city like this that’s so diverse and has got so many neighborhoods, it’s really hard to find the right space. This is an amazing city. One of the things about Shinola, we have such a diverse clientele or customer base, you know, it’s not about one specific demographic. Because we do appeal to a lot of different people, trying to find the right area — our stores tend to be destination stores — picking the right location, we don’t take it lightly. Everything about the brand, we think about. Everything is considered, from the way our offices look to product to where the stores go.

Q: Shinola is known for luxury, but also a balance of classic and modern. As creative director, how do you strike that balance?

A: No (laughing). I don’t know how. The design process for us is not a quick one. We really consider every small part, even things that you don’t see. It is a collaborative environment, and it is about working as a group, and you just kind of know it when product fits there. I wish there was a formula because if there was, it would make our lives a lot easier.

Q: Earlier this year, Shinola put out an advertisement poking fun at the frenzy over the Apple Watch. Why that approach to the competition?

A: There’s room for everybody in the marketplace. Just having a focus on watches is an amazing thing for the watch industry. Our ads are, we like smart humor and it shows. And obviously, quality and design are at the forefront of what we do, but we also don’t take ourselves too seriously.

Q: Do you have a Shinola personal favorite?

A: Right now, our backpack. That’s one of the first prototype samples. I’ve been wearing it for months, and your oils start to pick up the color, and it changes. The level of quality that’s in this bag, it’s really well made, and it’s a simple design, and it’s a classic backpack that you can have for years.